EGGPLANT JOSEPHINE

Eggplant Josephine image

How to make Eggplant Josephine

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

Ingredients
1 pound of lump crabmeat
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup of self rising flour
Bacon fat or canola oil
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup sauterne white wine (or can substitute chicken broth)
3-1/2 cups of marinara sauce, homemade or commercial
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cajun or Creole seasoning, (like Slap Ya Mama or Zatarains), to taste
2 cups of shredded Swiss or mozzarella cheese
Cooked spaghetti noodles
Hollandaise sauce, optional

Steps:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside. Pick through the crabmeat well to extract any small pieces of cartilage and shell.
Peel the eggplant and slice into about 8 slices. Heat bacon fat or oil in skillet over medium high heat. Dredge the eggplant in the flour and brown both sides of the eggplant in the hot bacon fat. Set aside on a rack to drain.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt the butter and add the wine or chicken broth. Add the crabmeat and gently toss, letting low simmer for about 5 minutes.
Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the eggplant slices on top of the sauce, slightly overlapping pieces. Divide the crabmeat evenly on each slice of eggplant, sprinkle with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. Carefully pour the remaining sauce over the top of the crabmeat and sprinkle top with shredded cheese.
Cover and bake at 450 degrees F for about 20 minutes; uncover and bake another 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Can also run under the broiler to brown the top if desired. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving, while you make the hollandaise sauce. Eat as is, or place each serving over a bed of spaghetti noodles, and spoon hollandaise over the top of each serving, if desired.
Cook's Notes: Any spaghetti sauce can be used here, homemade or commercial. To easily pick out any shell, spread crab on a baking sheet in a single layer and place in a 200 degree oven for 3 minutes. The shell will be visible and easy to pick out. The eggplant may also be baked. Dredge pieces in the flour mixture and place on a greased, aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes, turning once. Proceed with the recipe as above.
Eggplant Parmigiana: Omit the the crabmeat, wine and butter, or use butter with the other fat for frying. Reduce the mozzarella cheese to 1-1/2 cups and add 3/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Layer and bake as above, or for a more classic Italian version, increase ingredients to make four layers.
Source: http://www.deepsouthdish.com